The Stowaway
by WookieFragger
Summary: A seasoned veteran Vulture pilot suddenly falls in love hours before landing on Mar Sara


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any rights to Starcraft or it's characters, creatures, storyline, etc. But hey, does anyone on this site?**

**Author's comments thing: **Hello everyone! Starcraft is my favorite strategy game. Period. Especially because of the way it delivers unequaled game play without slighting the story. Blizzard, you rock. I don't think you've made a bad game yet. Come to think of it, you've never even made a game that wasn't excellent! Blizzard, have my babies. Seriously, take them! Ok, now for the story! You won't get the title yet, but you will soon, I promise.

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He was a hero. Everybody in his squad would say the same thing about Ash Oliver. Everybody except him, at least, but even though he thought he hated the fighting, he was a hero whether he liked it or not. His mind was broken, but broken like a mirror shatters; it was sharper and more dangerous than ever. He stood by a window, watching the cloudy red planet grow a little larger every minute. His eyes were keen, and it bothered him not to be able to see the ground. "Mar Sara…" he muttered. He stared at the faint reflection in the window of his Vulture craft behind him. He knew they would be landing in a few hours, and he planned on using his time just to be alone in the empty vehicle hangar. He wanted to be at peace before they arrived. He unbuttoned his jacket and reached in his inside pocket for his wallet.

He flipped through his pictures. He grew up in a small family, and never felt the need to find someone. Ash never met his mother, but he always knew that his father missed her very much. The only thing of his mother's that he had was a charm bracelet with some small plastic figures and two letters: A for Ash, and C, for his father Christopher. His father gave it to him when he left to join the military. He took it out and looked at it for a moment. The photos were all of him and his friends.

He was deep in thought, when he was interrupted by a gentle touch. He turned his attention to the small woman behind him. "Excuse me, sir?" she chirped. The bracelet disappeared into his jacket. He smiled and gave her a small nod. She went on, "Hi, I'm Clara. I'm the pilot of this ship. I just wanted to see how you're doing back here." He was impressed by her hospitality. He rarely ever actually talked to one of the pilots, since they had a reputation for being rude snobs. He figured this to be her first trip.

"I'm doing fine. I'm Ash," he said, shaking her hand. Her hand was soft and smooth. She was definitely new to the military. He asked her the obvious question. "So, is this your first assignment?" She blushed and meekly laughed, "Yeah. I guess you could tell." He smiled again and nodded. She wasn't much younger than he was. Her red hair was tied up in a ponytail with a little yellow elastic band, and her eyes were a deep shade of green. She was wearing a black and red baseball cap with the name of some team faded into obscurity.

"Your lucky hat?" he asked. She looked at him sideways for a second, not knowing what he meant. Suddenly realizing she was wearing a hat, she lightly laughed, "Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, it is. I forgot I was wearing it." He raised an eyebrow and smirked. She laughed, "What? It's not like you've never forgotten anything before!" He grinned. "I didn't say anything." They both laughed. She sighed, and grinned. He looked at her for a moment and thought.

"So how many times have you been assigned?" she asked. He thought for a moment and said, "This'll be my fifth time." She nodded. "How long have you been in?" she asked. "Five years. Signed up at 18." She nodded again and said, "You were assigned pretty quick. I signed up at 21 and didn't get assigned until about a year later." They just looked at each other for a moment, trying to think what to say next. She broke the silence, "How come you're the only Vulture driver? All the others on this ship are Firebats. They're usually the main guys for cleanup of Zerg bases out here, so I don't see why they have a Vulture pilot along." He didn't know the answer, so he just shrugged. Her words echoed through the empty hangar, and then the silence fell again. He asked her what the words were on her hat. She didn't know. She explained that it was a good luck charm she had gotten from her father after he died. It was faded long before she had gotten it. She sighed and looked away for a moment.

Ash's mind became flooded with memories of his father. How the man would laugh and have so much fun with him, and then sigh, and look away for a moment. Every time he saw him do that, Ash knew it was because his father wished his mother could have been there, and thought how she would have loved to see it. Two small tears glided over Clara's soft cheeks. Ash's hand rested on her shoulder.

"It's okay. I know how you feel. I've been through something like that, too."

They looked into each other's eyes. They weren't even trying to hide it anymore. They stepped towards each other slowly. Her hands gently rested on the back of his neck, his warmly on her shoulders. They held each other close. Ash and Clara both knew it. They were already in love.

They trembled as they drew their faces closer. Ash then turned his head a little, and drew his mouth close to her ear, and whispered. "I've never done this before," he said. She replied, even softer, "Neither have I." They faced each other again, and for the first time for either of them, they kissed.


End file.
